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Recently, I had an accident – a stupid, clumsy thing that happened in an instant. I’ve been leaving Dylan’s infant seat in the car, since he is a brute of a baby and getting nearly impossible to carry without stretching some tendons in my arm. So, I was carrying him in my arms into the garage, and instead of moving a box that was in my way, I tried to sidestep it. Fail. Fail. Fail.


Instinctually, I pulled him closer to me and threw out my elbows to try to balance, falling sideways into the wall. Except the “wall” in question was the side door to my garage, and I crashed through the window with my elbow. Glass shattered and rained down, scratching and pinning my arm to the door frame. Trying to stay calm, I pulled my arm free and walked him over to the other side of the car, where Abbey was waiting. Freak-outs ensued, mostly by Abbey when she saw the blood, but I gently placed Dylan in Abbey’s car seat and let Abbey climb into the front seat to “drive” (her newest obsession.)

I called Ryan in a panic, and he was home in minutes. He found me, still in the garage, clamping one of Dylan’s diapers to my dripping arm. A little soapy water, some peroxide, a boat load of Neosporin, and a shirt change later, and I was back in saddle, herding the kids to Target for some last minute Easter shopping. My arm looks ugly, but the wound was much more frightening than it was damaging.

The whole thing made me really think about all of those times I cut corners to squeeze a little something extra into my day. Carrying too much down the stairs, trying to juggle a mug of coffee when my hands are already full, countless little things that I get away with on a daily basis. Yet, my heart stops when I think about how unbelievably lucky I was that only MY ELBOW went through that glass and not something more fragile and infinitely more precious, like even a single hair on Dylan’s little head.

I need to slow down. So forgive me if I am running late or forget something at home. Please know that I am not blowing you off but making a conscious effort to take even better care of these little people God has entrusted to me. And I will give you the same consideration, so that you can take care of that which is precious to you as well.

That's my little girl - pink sparkly shoes, even without any other clothes.  Accessories rule.